Lawyers for longtime Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court Monday against Prince Andrew over alleged sexual assault and abuse.
The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the abuse, which the suit says occurred before Giuffre turned 18.
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According to the Associated Press, Guiffre has repeatedly publicly lodged accusations against the prince, including that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Andrew, who also holds the title Duke of York and is ninth in the line of succession for the crown of Great Britain.
Andrew has been linked to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died at age 66 in 2019 while being held in federal jail awaiting trial. Epstein was charged in the same Manhattan court where Giuffre’s lawyers filed their suit against Andrew.
Giuffre has also repeatedly made allegations against Epstein and his onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges in Manhattan federal court and is being held without bail while waiting for trial in November.
Epstein and Maxwell recruited her at age 17 to be sexually abused from 1999 to 2002, according to Giuffre's claims. This lawsuit marks the first time she has directly confronted Andrew – who Giuffre alleges assaulted her in 2001 while knowing she was underage – in such a formal setting, said the Associated Press.
She was given “express or implied threats” by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Andrew to engage in sexual acts with the prince, the lawsuit said, according to the outlet. It said that she “feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying” the trio because of their “powerful connections, wealth, and authority.”
During once alleged incident, Andrew sexually abused Giuffre in Epstein’s New York mansion. Maxwell forced Giuffre and another victim to sit on Andrew’s lap as he touched her, the lawsuit said. It also said the prince sexually abused her on Epstein’s private island, and in Maxwell’s London home when Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew forced her to have sexual intercourse with the prince against her will.
In a statement, Giuffre said she was “holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me.”
“The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice,” Giuffre said.
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The lawsuit was brought under the Child Victims Act, said the Associated Press. This 2019 New York state law that allows victims to temporarily make legal claims of abuse that occurred when they were children regardless of when or how long ago the alleged abuse occurred.
In late 2019, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight that he never had sex with Giuffre, saying, “It didn’t happen.” Andrew further said he had “no recollection” of ever meeting her.
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After the allegations were made public, Andrew quit his royal duties.
Last year, New York prosecutors formally requested to speak with Andrew. However, Brad Edwards, a lawyer who represents dozens of Epstein victims, has said that the prince has failed to answer questions for civil lawsuits before.
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